Chapter Twenty-Four: And There was Silence
Desperado grinned, and without warning raised his shotgun and fired. Snake jumped aside, falling onto his back and doing a summersault to find his footing again. By the time he had stood, Desperado shot again, and as Snake dodged it, another shot was fired. Snake dove into the snow, turning his body as he glided through the air, and aimed at Desperado with his SOCOM, pulling the trigger numerous times. Desperado twirled and recovered from the onslaught of fire, raising his UMP 450 and pointing it at Snake who had again made his way onto his feet.
Snake pulled cranked out as many shots as he could before the hollow clicking sound warned him to slip in a new magazine. Desperado's index finger curled around the trigger of his UMP and a wave of bullets ran through the air like fickle elves in flight. Snake ran straight, the bullets missing him as he reloaded his SOCOM and turned where he stood, firing six shots, all but one missing Desperado with comfort. The one that did find its way to him struck his UMP and knocked it from his hand.
Desperado quickly threw aside his shotgun, pulling forth Dual Beretta's and striking the cold air with their silver bullets. Snake felt the wind stir around him as they missed, and he stepped to his left, firing two more shots before he had to reload once again. But, as he fumbled for another magazine he found that the SOCOM had been jerked out of his hand by the force of a precisely aimed shot. Desperado's arms outstretched, he grinned as Snake looked up.
"You're too slow," Desperado snickered. "You could use these if you'd like." Twirling his Dual Beretta's with skill, he holstered them and pulled forth a pair of Desert Eagles, tossing them to Snake as he rearmed himself with the Beretta's. Snake felt the guns weigh heavy in his hands, and as his hands felt the heaviness, so did his heart.
He looked down at them, his eyes beginning to burn and swell, not from the cold, but from the memories. Memories of Meryl. He remembered the days of Shadow Moses like they were yesterday, not even taking notice to the Arsenal incident. He hadn't found love hitched with Arsenal, but the frigid cold of Alaska had sprouted one more unlikely than any. But as he remembered their newborn love, he remembered what had shattered it, what had made Meryl just like everyone else he had met. She had died.
More painful than seeing her shot down on the stretch to Sniper Wolf's tower was knowing how he – Solid Snake – had killed her. He had tried to hold out to Ocelot's torture, he did everything he could to resist, but he had felt his heart giving out, and if he had died, she would have also. Still…he'd killed her. It was no one's fault but his own.
"Oh, come on, Snake!" Desperado cried, his Beretta's held high as he waited for Snake to look up from the Desert eagles that lay in his palms. And he did. As Desperado wanted him to, Snake lifted his head and stared deep into the man's eyes, his own burning as tears streamed from them, down his cheeks, and over his scruffy chin, being lost in the tangle of prickly hair.
He raised his Desert Eagles, and he cried, "Meryl!" Jack, Mei Ling, and Naomi had turned as they were stepping into the Spire, and could see flashes of light. The battle had begun. Desperado fired blindly as he ran to the right, and Snake did the same as he moved left. None of their bullets managed to graze the others' skin, but Snake quickly spotted the helipad not far away, and ran for it, his guns blazing as he dove behind it, burning rubble all around him. The helipad was like the memory of a battlefield, bodies symbolized by metal, strewn about the ground, and flames still burning from past explosions reminiscent in the early morning.
He hid himself behind the pad, and could hear Desperado stepping toward him in a quickened walk. He could hear guns twirling, and heard them slip into a holster as two more were brought forth. As he slipped in full magazines, Snake recognized the sound they made and identified them to be Uzi's. Snake realized the emptiness of his own magazine and examined his guns, taking notice to the things taped along their heads. On both sides of each gun was a full magazine, and as Snake let the empty one slip out, reloading his Desert Eagles for another round of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, he heard Desperado turn. Snake curled against the side of the pad as the snow where he had laid moments earlier was flung through the air and replaced by ugly patches of mud and frozen dirt. He'd heard Snake reload.
"Three!" Snake cried as he flipped onto his feet, firing his Desert Eagles with confidence in Desperado's direction. The cry of the Uzi returned the fire ten times greater than before, and Snake could hear the whizzing of the bullets passing by his ears and ricocheting off of the burning shards of metal around him.
Then, both of them dove behind two large walls of metal, and sat against them, reloading their weapons. Desperado's voice was the first to call. "You have a nice shot," he said.
"Hmph," Snake replied. "You don't use those techno-toys like your big bud, eh?" Snake slipped in the last magazines available and waited for a reply.
"Techno-toys, eh?" Desperado questioned, slipping in two fresh magazines. "No, no. I play fair. Ocelot plays dirty, but he plays with courage."
"Is that what they call it?" Snake retorted, furiously. "I seem to remember it as torture."
"Torture?" Deperado laughed. "Old Ocelot is not so cruel as to induce torture. You have thought wrong, Solid Snake."
"You're being fooled, Desperado," Snake answered. "But as long as you believe those delusions, you'll remain a puppet. Just a puppet." Snake heard the pound on metal opposite him, and he stood, raising his Desert Eagles as Desperado did the same.
It seemed as if neither of them pulled off a single shot. Snake was frozen in awe, and Desperado was frozen in pain. "Gah!" he cried as he cuddled his stub of an arm close to his chest. Behind him stood the Ninja, a blade soaked with blood in his hands, and a malicious grin on his masked face.
"I took the hand of Ocelot," he said, "and now I take your own." Desperado spun around, pulling his sniper rifle over his shoulder and into his hand. He fired one shot and the Ninja stumbled backward as Snake jumped over the wall of metal and hurried toward them. Desperado turned back and dropped his rifle at his feet, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell beside it. There was so much blood seeping from his arm that he had fainted, but to him, the other world was more peaceful, less painful.
"Frank!" Snake called as he watched the Ninja regain his footing, his hand over a wound in his stomach. Snake pulled his hand away and could see the biomechanical suit begin to rebuild itself, a green light glowing about the wound as the armor 'grew.' "What the hell?" Snake questioned and the Ninja lowered his head as if put to shame.
In an instant, Snake turned back to Desperado, and pulled the bandana from his forehead, tying it around the end of his arm, where the blood ran freely. As he tied it, he shot looks up at the Ninja, his old friend, his old enemy. "Go," he said, hurriedly. "Your sister is heading for the Spire. Go and keep watch over them." The Ninja didn't move. "Frank – !"
"It is what they want Otacon for," the Ninja proclaimed. "This regenerative ability…they want him for –," Snake cut in.
"Get to Naomi! Make sure they are safe. I'll be there soon, I just need to make sure he lives."
"Did I do wrong?" the Ninja asked, innocently. Snake had a hard time returning an answer to this question. He appeared so innocent, and really…he almost was. He had been brought from death and had been forced into a life of killing. He couldn't even understand the things he did. He was like a child.
"Just go," Snake growled, and the Ninja turned on his heel and started off for the Spire. Snake wanted to turn and apologize, but he didn't…he couldn't. He simply tied the bandage about Desperado and waited for any sign of life to return. He waited. And waited. Then, as he laid his face in Desperado's chest, he stood, looked to Hell's Outpost and sighed. "Don't you die."
Snake heard a ring, and put his hand to his ear. "Snake?! Are you okay?" It was Mei Ling. Snake nodded.
"Yea, I'm good."
"We found a door on the first floor. It looks like it leads to some sort of sub-level. We think it might be where Socrates is planning to construct the Hell Cell," Naomi moved in.
"All right," Snake replied. "I have a patient to tend to. Try and get into the sub-level. Can you do that?" Snake waited for an answer, and when Mei Ling's voice returned, it lasted for only a second before a hail of gunfire was unleashed on the other end. Snake ducked down and listened intently for some sign…some clue as to what was happening. "Mei Ling! Naomi!" Then, he heard the screeching voice. It resembled the sound a teacher made when she took her fingernails down a black board. It was high. It was Little Mary.
And then there was silence.
Desperado grinned, and without warning raised his shotgun and fired. Snake jumped aside, falling onto his back and doing a summersault to find his footing again. By the time he had stood, Desperado shot again, and as Snake dodged it, another shot was fired. Snake dove into the snow, turning his body as he glided through the air, and aimed at Desperado with his SOCOM, pulling the trigger numerous times. Desperado twirled and recovered from the onslaught of fire, raising his UMP 450 and pointing it at Snake who had again made his way onto his feet.
Snake pulled cranked out as many shots as he could before the hollow clicking sound warned him to slip in a new magazine. Desperado's index finger curled around the trigger of his UMP and a wave of bullets ran through the air like fickle elves in flight. Snake ran straight, the bullets missing him as he reloaded his SOCOM and turned where he stood, firing six shots, all but one missing Desperado with comfort. The one that did find its way to him struck his UMP and knocked it from his hand.
Desperado quickly threw aside his shotgun, pulling forth Dual Beretta's and striking the cold air with their silver bullets. Snake felt the wind stir around him as they missed, and he stepped to his left, firing two more shots before he had to reload once again. But, as he fumbled for another magazine he found that the SOCOM had been jerked out of his hand by the force of a precisely aimed shot. Desperado's arms outstretched, he grinned as Snake looked up.
"You're too slow," Desperado snickered. "You could use these if you'd like." Twirling his Dual Beretta's with skill, he holstered them and pulled forth a pair of Desert Eagles, tossing them to Snake as he rearmed himself with the Beretta's. Snake felt the guns weigh heavy in his hands, and as his hands felt the heaviness, so did his heart.
He looked down at them, his eyes beginning to burn and swell, not from the cold, but from the memories. Memories of Meryl. He remembered the days of Shadow Moses like they were yesterday, not even taking notice to the Arsenal incident. He hadn't found love hitched with Arsenal, but the frigid cold of Alaska had sprouted one more unlikely than any. But as he remembered their newborn love, he remembered what had shattered it, what had made Meryl just like everyone else he had met. She had died.
More painful than seeing her shot down on the stretch to Sniper Wolf's tower was knowing how he – Solid Snake – had killed her. He had tried to hold out to Ocelot's torture, he did everything he could to resist, but he had felt his heart giving out, and if he had died, she would have also. Still…he'd killed her. It was no one's fault but his own.
"Oh, come on, Snake!" Desperado cried, his Beretta's held high as he waited for Snake to look up from the Desert eagles that lay in his palms. And he did. As Desperado wanted him to, Snake lifted his head and stared deep into the man's eyes, his own burning as tears streamed from them, down his cheeks, and over his scruffy chin, being lost in the tangle of prickly hair.
He raised his Desert Eagles, and he cried, "Meryl!" Jack, Mei Ling, and Naomi had turned as they were stepping into the Spire, and could see flashes of light. The battle had begun. Desperado fired blindly as he ran to the right, and Snake did the same as he moved left. None of their bullets managed to graze the others' skin, but Snake quickly spotted the helipad not far away, and ran for it, his guns blazing as he dove behind it, burning rubble all around him. The helipad was like the memory of a battlefield, bodies symbolized by metal, strewn about the ground, and flames still burning from past explosions reminiscent in the early morning.
He hid himself behind the pad, and could hear Desperado stepping toward him in a quickened walk. He could hear guns twirling, and heard them slip into a holster as two more were brought forth. As he slipped in full magazines, Snake recognized the sound they made and identified them to be Uzi's. Snake realized the emptiness of his own magazine and examined his guns, taking notice to the things taped along their heads. On both sides of each gun was a full magazine, and as Snake let the empty one slip out, reloading his Desert Eagles for another round of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, he heard Desperado turn. Snake curled against the side of the pad as the snow where he had laid moments earlier was flung through the air and replaced by ugly patches of mud and frozen dirt. He'd heard Snake reload.
"Three!" Snake cried as he flipped onto his feet, firing his Desert Eagles with confidence in Desperado's direction. The cry of the Uzi returned the fire ten times greater than before, and Snake could hear the whizzing of the bullets passing by his ears and ricocheting off of the burning shards of metal around him.
Then, both of them dove behind two large walls of metal, and sat against them, reloading their weapons. Desperado's voice was the first to call. "You have a nice shot," he said.
"Hmph," Snake replied. "You don't use those techno-toys like your big bud, eh?" Snake slipped in the last magazines available and waited for a reply.
"Techno-toys, eh?" Desperado questioned, slipping in two fresh magazines. "No, no. I play fair. Ocelot plays dirty, but he plays with courage."
"Is that what they call it?" Snake retorted, furiously. "I seem to remember it as torture."
"Torture?" Deperado laughed. "Old Ocelot is not so cruel as to induce torture. You have thought wrong, Solid Snake."
"You're being fooled, Desperado," Snake answered. "But as long as you believe those delusions, you'll remain a puppet. Just a puppet." Snake heard the pound on metal opposite him, and he stood, raising his Desert Eagles as Desperado did the same.
It seemed as if neither of them pulled off a single shot. Snake was frozen in awe, and Desperado was frozen in pain. "Gah!" he cried as he cuddled his stub of an arm close to his chest. Behind him stood the Ninja, a blade soaked with blood in his hands, and a malicious grin on his masked face.
"I took the hand of Ocelot," he said, "and now I take your own." Desperado spun around, pulling his sniper rifle over his shoulder and into his hand. He fired one shot and the Ninja stumbled backward as Snake jumped over the wall of metal and hurried toward them. Desperado turned back and dropped his rifle at his feet, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he fell beside it. There was so much blood seeping from his arm that he had fainted, but to him, the other world was more peaceful, less painful.
"Frank!" Snake called as he watched the Ninja regain his footing, his hand over a wound in his stomach. Snake pulled his hand away and could see the biomechanical suit begin to rebuild itself, a green light glowing about the wound as the armor 'grew.' "What the hell?" Snake questioned and the Ninja lowered his head as if put to shame.
In an instant, Snake turned back to Desperado, and pulled the bandana from his forehead, tying it around the end of his arm, where the blood ran freely. As he tied it, he shot looks up at the Ninja, his old friend, his old enemy. "Go," he said, hurriedly. "Your sister is heading for the Spire. Go and keep watch over them." The Ninja didn't move. "Frank – !"
"It is what they want Otacon for," the Ninja proclaimed. "This regenerative ability…they want him for –," Snake cut in.
"Get to Naomi! Make sure they are safe. I'll be there soon, I just need to make sure he lives."
"Did I do wrong?" the Ninja asked, innocently. Snake had a hard time returning an answer to this question. He appeared so innocent, and really…he almost was. He had been brought from death and had been forced into a life of killing. He couldn't even understand the things he did. He was like a child.
"Just go," Snake growled, and the Ninja turned on his heel and started off for the Spire. Snake wanted to turn and apologize, but he didn't…he couldn't. He simply tied the bandage about Desperado and waited for any sign of life to return. He waited. And waited. Then, as he laid his face in Desperado's chest, he stood, looked to Hell's Outpost and sighed. "Don't you die."
Snake heard a ring, and put his hand to his ear. "Snake?! Are you okay?" It was Mei Ling. Snake nodded.
"Yea, I'm good."
"We found a door on the first floor. It looks like it leads to some sort of sub-level. We think it might be where Socrates is planning to construct the Hell Cell," Naomi moved in.
"All right," Snake replied. "I have a patient to tend to. Try and get into the sub-level. Can you do that?" Snake waited for an answer, and when Mei Ling's voice returned, it lasted for only a second before a hail of gunfire was unleashed on the other end. Snake ducked down and listened intently for some sign…some clue as to what was happening. "Mei Ling! Naomi!" Then, he heard the screeching voice. It resembled the sound a teacher made when she took her fingernails down a black board. It was high. It was Little Mary.
And then there was silence.